Love cheats lie about leaving partners for 'bits on the side,' survey shows

Ross Robertson

A survey has revealed that the vast majority of cheaters never leave their long-term partner for their secret love.

Only a third of people polled by the Victoria Milan dating website even consider ditching their significant other for their "bit on the side".

However, more than half (52%) did promise that they would leave their partner for the object of their online affections.

The figures from the website which specialises in helping married and attached people to cheat on their partners polled 3,874 of its male and female members who have engaged in a long-term affair. Most of these relationships lasted between 6 months to 2-3 years; only 9% of affairs lasted 3-4 years and 13% lasted more than 5 years.

And despite the risks involved, 88% of lovers expected that their affair would someday be made public, and their cheating lover would change their ways for them.

Victoria Milan’s CEO, Sigurd Vedal, said: “Stress relief, a little adventure, shaking things up – call it what you will, our research shows affairs are generally very therapeutic for marriages and serious relationships because they take the pressure off. We see from this survey that there are some unmanaged expectations from lovers, but the true long-term relationships win out in the end,”